


A Guilty Conscience

by prince_zale



Series: Vaguely Interconnected Briaakitz Shit [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Good good boys being in a good good relationship with each other, M/M, OT4, Polyamory, magic brian is keetz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 18:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12989622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prince_zale/pseuds/prince_zale
Summary: Brad gets a guilty conscience about his relationship with Taako. Kravitz assists as best he can. Brian gives some much needed reassurance. The first of a series of vaguely interconnected stories for this OT4.





	A Guilty Conscience

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to SilverServerError for helping me brainstorm this brilliant idea and supporting me through writing it. It has been a blessing getting to know you and share headcanons on twitter. You're so lovely, thank you!

Brad had been with Taako, and subsequently, Kravitz, for quite some time now. Almost a year for Taako, nine months for Kravitz.Things were going well. Things were… good. He was happy, or at least he thought he was. But, something kept nagging in the back of his mind. 

Taako was the reason his fiance, Brian, was dead, however indirectly it was. Sure, it wasn’t Taako’s fault entirely - Brian was the one who pursued the gauntlet, after all; Brian was the one who betrayed the Bureau, and Killian would’ve been the one to take care of him if Taako and his friends hadn’t stepped in. Taako didn’t even know Brian was his fiance, he couldn’t bring himself to tell the elf, knowing he would feel awful about it.

It didn’t make sense for Brad to be mad at Taako - really, he wasn’t, he couldn’t be - but, he also knew from reading the mission report - Taako had dealt the finishing blows. Brad felt so conflicted. He couldn’t be mad at Taako… and yet… maybe he was?

  
  


\--

 

Taako felt content for the first time in years. Lup was back, Brad and Kravitz were great partners, he had his brand back, Angus was doing well in school - everything was perfect. Or, at least, he thought so, until Brad started getting distant. Taako felt it, however minimally it was. Brad wasn’t as affectionate as usual, pulling out of kisses he normally would’ve deepened, not giving him as many little pecks on the top of his head, fewer cuddle sessions. For as much shit as he gave Brad about it - He missed it. Desperately. But he didn’t know what to say or how to address it. Which left him turning to Lup.

“I mean, he’s just… he’s pulling away, Lulu… this has never happened, I don’t know what to do,” he complained to her over sushi at a place in downtown Neverwinter, blocks from his apartment.

“Have you tried talking to him?” Lup asked pointedly, earning a look from her brother as she shoved a roll in her face with chopsticks.

“Have you met me?” he asked her deadpan. “I don’t talk, Lup, not unless it’s you or like, sometimes Barold. I don’t know how to relationship, you know this. Remember with Magnus, when I tried that? It wasn’t pretty.”

Lup snorted at the memory. Magnus was the only person either of them knew to turn Taako down. Taako had tried confessing his attraction and Magnus had given the most ridiculous excuse. “Sorry, I don’t date elves,” she mimicked in a low voice (that was supposed to be Magnus, but was the most dudebro voice ever), laughing. “And then you transmorgified him into a wooden duck until he apologized. I remember. But the thing is, Taaks, you already know Hulk and Bone Daddy love you,” she said, using her (very clever) nicknames for his lovers.

Taako scoffed a bit, rolling his eyes. It was pretty obvious that he wasn’t going to take her advice and he was just going to suffer the consequences. Lup just didn’t understand him this time, and that was fine. A lot had changed in ten years. (That thought still stung). “It’s not a love like you and Barry have. It’s not the forever love. He can leave me at anytime, and if he wants to do that… fine… I won’t get my panties in a twist about it.”

 

\--

 

Lup looked across the table at her brother, taking in the lowered ears, the hunched shoulders, the guarded voice. He cared. A lot. It was not fine, and she could tell. Gently, she took his hand and squeezed it. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay, Taako,” she said softly. She could tell he didn’t believe her. She didn’t know if she believed it either - not if Taako wasn’t going to put in the work…. Maybe she could talk to Kravitz and do a bit of the work for him. She made a mental note about it and changed the subject.

 

\--

 

It was after a reaping that Lup approached him, asking to speak with him in private. That was an oddity in and of itself, considering it seemed she hardly kept anything from Barry. Even more odd was her demeanor - nervous, worried, seeming like she was putting together her words carefully. The scenario had Kravitz intrigued. “What can I do for you, Lup?” he asked, dropping his work accent.

“Is something going on with you guys and Brad?” Lup asked, rather to the point, and catching Kravitz off guard.

“I’m sorry? I’m not sure what you mean, I mean, we are in a relationship with him, but you knew that didn’t you?”

“N-no, shit, I meant, like…” Lup huffed, seeming to be exasperated. Kravitz arched a brow, waiting for her to continue. “Taako said Brad has been acting weird, but he didn’t divulge much else. Just that he’s distant. I was wondering if you and Brad or Brad and Taako had a fight or something? Taako clearly doesn’t want to talk about it, so I thought maybe I could get to the bottom of things,” she explained, surprising Kravitz a bit.

He hadn’t really thought about it until she brought it up, but Brad had been more distant. With both of them, but moreso with Taako in particular. But now that it was right under his nose. “I’ll look into it. Thank you, Lup,” he said, drawing her close and kissing her forehead. “You are a good sister,” he told her, smiling as he let her go. “By the way, the Raven Queen told me to let you know, you and Barry have the rest of the week off, as you requested.”

“Sweet, thanks,” she said, bidding him goodbye with a smile and a wave. The rift to take her home opened and she was gone, leaving Kravitz with his worry.

 

\--

 

It was a few nights before Kravitz got any alone time with Brad, but it finally came. Taako was out to dinner at Lup and Barry’s, visiting his family and Lucretia (Kravitz had once assumed Lucretia was a part of ‘family’, only to have his head ripped off, so now he kept them separate entities), and giving Kravitz ample time to discuss with Brad. 

He found his fellow bard in the brewery, humming softly as he taste his latest brew. Kravitz cleared his throat a bit to announce his presence, taking Brad’s hand and giving it a soft squeeze. “Will you come sit with me, love?” Kravitz asked, getting a tender smile in return.

“Of course,” Brad said, closing up the keg and leaving his glass, following Kravitz into the living room. They sat together on the couch, Kravitz tracing patterns into Brad’s hand before speaking. He wanted to make sure he said the right things.

“You’ve been distant, darling. Is something wrong?” he asked quietly. He had expected a fight, an avoidance, maybe some yelling. What he did not expect were the tears, or how broken up and conflicted Brad looked.

“I am so sorry, I know it’s not fair. I just… I don’t know what to do,” Brad explained, vaguely. Kravitz wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close.

“What’s going on. Did you and Taako have a fight?”

Brad sighed shakily, laughing a bit bitterly as he wiped his eyes. “No, and that’s just the worst, isn’t it? I’m mad at him for something he doesn’t even know he did and I know it’s not fair. It’s not even his fault that he did it. I’m being the worst and I know it and I can’t even stop,” he said.

“What… what did Taako do? To cause all of this?” Kravitz asked, confused. He couldn’t picture Taako willingly doing anything to upset himself or Brad. Of course, Brad had said Taako didn’t know, but still.

“Taako killed my fiance,” Brad said, causing Kravitz to gasp sharply, and jerk back to look at him. “No, no, he didn’t mean to. He didn’t even know,” Brad interjected quickly.

“Explain.”

“His name was Brian. He was… a lot like Taako, actually,” he laughed softly. “He worked for the Bureau of Balance, one of the firsts recruited, along with me. Lucretia didn’t know the reach of the Voidfish in those days, she was still experimenting with what we could get away with, so she had the two of us fake our deaths. Brian was a triplet, left behind his brother and sister. They were devastated at his loss - Keetz, he was called then. But he did it to protect them. Changed his name and took on the fakest accent. Even faker than your work accent. I didn’t leave behind much, I was estranged from my family. I was young and Lucretia’s organization was the best option I had at the time. Brian was… a character for sure. His love for spiders… breaking the rules… he’s the reason we had to adopt a dress code, but that’s a story for another time. But during that time together at the Bureau, we fell in love. We got engaged a year before Lucretia started sending people out to collect relics…”

Kravitz listened with rapt attention, feeling his heart melt a little at the fond look on Brad’s face. Obviously these memories were very important -  _ Brian _ was very important. He squeezed Brad’s hand in support as he seemed to get choked up again.

“Brian was sent out on one of the first of these missions. All of them had failed before, but Lucretia was able to recreate the thrall somehow and Brian had been able to resist the recreation, so she thought he was best suited. We were going to be getting married three days after she sent him out. We tried to get her to postpone until after but she insisted it was of the utmost importance, that the safety of the world depended on it. I told him I would wait and see him in three days. It was supposed to be easy. Go down, resist the thrall of the gauntlet, bring it back. Bing bang boom. But… three days turned into three weeks. Three weeks turned into three months… Killian was sent down to retrieve him, but the whole Bureau had been prepared for the worst. Lucretia let us know what the chances of him even being alive were - she let me know first, then the rest of the base. But the orders were for Killian to get him, dead or alive. Killian… she… bless her, she looked me in the eye and promised  _ me,  _ not Lucretia, but  _ me,  _ that she would bring him home…”

Kravitz brought Brad into a tight hug as he started to cry harder. “Th-that’s when… Killian ran into Taako and his family, when she was retrieving Brian… Brian had been.. He’d been corrupted by the relic. He injured Carey almost fatally, hurt Killian, killed two innocent men. Carey came home before Kilian did, let me know that Killian was still trying her best to get him back. I was relieved to know he was even alive. Corrupted, I could work with that, y’know. I could forgive because he wasn’t himself when he killed those men. Carey and Killian had already forgiven him for what he’d done, everything would be okay. That’s what I kept telling myself. But I guess things… got hairy down there… Brian was apparently trying to kill Killian when the boys happened upon them. They rescued her, but in the process, they… they killed him… Taako dealt the finishing blow. Brian was forgotten in the mess with the relic that followed but Killian.. She made me a promise, and a few days after Phandalin was turned to glass, she brought him to me. I held him and cried while Lucretia erased his memory from the world… I buried him just outside the black circle of glass, bringing his spider out from the cave to lie beside him. Taako has no idea… He doesn’t know what he did, he didn’t even mean to, he was just helping someone innocent. He doesn’t know and I shouldn’t be mad at him but… I am.. And I feel like… Like I’m betraying Brian by… by being with you two and being happy…” Brad sniffled thickly and wiped his face down with his shirt. “I’m sorry, you two don’t deserve this.”

Kravitz was quick to shake his head and pull Brad close, kissing his temple, then his nose. “You’re okay, and we’ll work this out. But I think you owe it to Taako to tell him. And as far as Brian… well, let me see what I can’t work out.”

 

\--

 

Two days and a conversation with the Raven Queen later, Kravitz was opening a rift for Brad. “Now, just remember, he has to stay on his side, and you on yours. If you cross over, you have to stay. If he crosses over, he’ll be going to the Eternal Stockade,” Kravitz explained, getting a nod from Brad.

“Thank you,” he said. Brad looked hopeful and excited. Kravitz smiled and kissed his knuckles quickly. 

“Ready?” he asked, smiling brighter when Brad nodded. Brian had been given the same warning and stayed on the other side of the rift, though he got visibly excited when he caught sight of Brad.

“Darling!!” Brian exclaimed, a joyous smile on his face. Kravitz took a step back to give them some privacy (though not much, a requirement of the Raven Queen was that he stay in the same room).

“Brian,” Brad breathed, a wobbly smile on his face, his eyes shiny with tears. “I’ve missed you, dear.”

“Oh, now, do not cry,” Brian shushed him in that ridiculous accent, “I’m okay, ze afterlife is not so bad.” He waved a hand, eyes alight with a bit of amusement. “How are you, my darling?”

“I’m… A lot has happened…” Brad answered dodgily.

“Any new beaus? Maybe Kravitz here? He is a spicy one, no?” Brian asked, laughing delightedly when Brad blushed, a guilty look on his face. “Oh I see, but is he not with that darling little elf Taako?” Kravitz gave Brian a look that asked how the drow could possibly even know that. “Oh, please, Kravitz, darling, I know all the juicy gossip down here.”

“We’re all… we’re all together,” Brad said softly. “I’m sorry…”

Brian laughed again. “What for, dear? I’m dead! Zere is nozing to be sorry for! It was my hope that you would move on and enjoy yourself, love,” Brian said, reaching out absentmindedly, as if to comfort Brad, before catching himself. He cleared his throat and dropped the accent, using his natural one that sounded so much like Taako’s. If Kravitz didn’t know any better, he would say they were from the same region. “Brad, my love. I want you to be happy, okay? We have all the time in the world to be married in the afterlife. And if we have a couple more lovely men added to our little family? Well, so be it. Be happy, love who you want.”

Brad folded his lips in, seeming hesitant to accept Brian’s answer so easily. “But Taako.. He’s the one who…”

“Killed me, I know,” Brian said softly, smiling at Brad. “But he saved me, too. Stopped that voice from ringing in my head, stopped me from killing my friend, from killing thousands. I never would’ve forgiven myself if something happened to Carey or Killian. He helped me, Brad. Don’t feel guilty for being with him… or loving him, if you do. He deserves it, and so does Kravitz and so do you. Be in love and be happy. Or I will kick your butt in the afterlife.”

Brad chuckled wetly and looked over at Kravitz, smiling. “Yeah, okay. I will do that,” he promised, then looked back at Brian. “Thank you, love. I’ll see you soon, okay?”   
“You too, Brad. Kravitz, hug my fiance for me. Bye for now, darlings.”

Kravitz closed the rift and hugged Brad, as requested, and because, after that promise, he couldn’t help but to do it. He then leaned down and kissed him tenderly.

“Thank you,” Brad murmured as they parted, nuzzling at Kravitz's jaw.

“Looks like I’m missing a fun party,” Taako said, getting them both to laugh as he walked in, dropping his bag and KrebStar by the door.

 

\--

 

Brad felt warm in his heart, and even warmer when Taako walked in. He let go of Kravitz gently and strode to Taako, taking him in his arms and kissing the daylights out of him. He had a lot of kisses to make up for from when he was being distant. He was glad Taako didn’t question it and just kissed him back with the same passion and love.

 

\--

 

Taako sat next to his sister in the pedicure chair, looking more relaxed than he had been in weeks. “I don’t know what happened, but he’s suddenly back to normal. I guess you were right, huh, big sis,” he laughed a bit. “Everything worked out okay.”

 

“It sure did,” Lup said, smiling to herself. Brad and Kravitz’s secret would be safe with her, at least for the time being.


End file.
